Tag Archives: Palm Beach

Duck Key

Florida Fall Beach Resort Specials

 

Ah Fall. Football, leaf season, a hint of chill in the air. If you are ready to flip the script on the autumn season, why not plan one more escape to the beach. And there’s no need to max out the credit card to do so because resorts across the state of Florida are offering special enticements and savings to travelers who show up after the summer rush. Here are four top picks.

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa

Escape to Florida’s Emerald Coast with the Beauty & The Beach package and you’ll enjoy special rates and complimentary perks such as daily breakfasts and spa treatments. This 2,100-acre property is located on one of the Gulf of Mexico’s best powder- soft sand beaches, and includes a championship golf course, three pools, award-winning dining and the Serenity by the Sea Spa. There, you can indulge in signature treatments that incorporate sea salts and seawater pearls. In addition to a complimentary spa session, the package also provides 20 percent discounts on additional treatments. Experience the Serenity Sea Escape Facial, Seawater Tonic Wrap or splurge on the Tranquility half-day spa journey. Afterward, enjoy some retail therapy with a special shopping pass to the Silver Sands Premium Outlets. The package is available from September 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Minimum night stay is two nights and the package must be booked at least three days in advance. Rates start at $289 for a two or more night stay. www.hiltonsandestinbeach.com; use code PB; 800-559-1805

Sandestin Hilton

An admiral suite at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa rewards guests with panoramic views of Destin Beach and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Hilton Sandestin

Sirata Beach Resort

The all-inclusive lifestyle comes to St. Petersburg Beach, where the Sirata Beach Resort is offering luxury accommodations, fine dining, libations and a full range of resort amenities at special all- in-one rates. This family friendly hotel in St. Petersburg sits directly on the Gulf of Mexico surrounded by 13 acres of palm- shaded tropical landscape. Each luxury appointed guest suite features a separate bedroom, spacious living and dining area and a fully equipped kitchen; suites include garden, ocean or pool views. Amenities include three beachfront pools, two whirlpools, three award-winning restaurants, a fitness center, premier game room, bike share service, live music, family activities, water sports and more. All inclusive package rates include all taxes and gratuities, and will be available all year. Packages start at $399 per night for two guests in a one-bedroom king, with a four night minimum stay. Additional adult guests are $150 per night per person. Children 12 and under are an additional $75 per person per night. www.sirata.com; 877-214-0421

Sirata Beach Resort St Pete

Sirata Beach Resort sits in a prime section of St. Petersburg Beach. This location combines ocean views with easy access to area attractions such as shops, galleries and museums. Photo: Sirata Beach

Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa

This fall, you can vacation like the other half for a third less. The Eau Palm Beach Resort is one of only two Forbes Five-Star resorts on this upscale island, situated on a private beach with seven acres of oceanfront with lush tropical gardens, breathtaking ocean views and cooling tropical breezes. All guest rooms and suites offer private balconies with ocean, pool and gardens views. Suites have separate bedroom, living room and two bathrooms. Club level rooms include a personal concierge, four indulgent meal periods in the Eric Villency designed Club Lounge, unlimited featured beer and wine selections, and daily pressing service. The resort features five restaurants, a fitness center with, spinning, yoga and Pilates classes, three Har-try clay courts, two pools, a range of child and youth programs and a 42,000-square- foot spa. Stay a minimum of three nights through October 31, 2017 and get the third night on the house. Enjoy! www.eaupalmbeach.com; 844-482-1788

Eau Palm

The Eau Palm Beach Resort is an upscale oceanfront enclave of luxury. A recent redesign of the property’s 309 rooms and suites showcase the design work and furnishings of Johnathan Alder. Photo: Eau Palm Beach

Hawks Cay Resort

It’s a tropical island you can drive to. Hawks Cay sits on the small island of Duck Key, half way between Key Largo and Key West, and just a short causeway away from the Overseas Highway. The resort’s 60-acre grounds face a private lagoon with direct access to coral reefs and the aquamarine water of the Atlantic Ocean. Guests enjoy offshore, flats and backcountry fishing, diving, kayaking, kite boarding and standup paddle boarding programs. The resort boasts 177 guestrooms and 250 two- and three- bedroom villas, a full-service marina, six restaurants, saltwater lagoon, five swimming pools, kid and teen clubs and the award- winning Calm Waters Spa. During the fall, the resort is offering the Fall into the Keys activities special that includes a $50 dining credit, half-hour kayak rental for two, half-hour paddleboard rental for two and one-hour bicycle rental for two. The package is available when two or more guests book a three night or more stay. Bookings must be prepaid and travel completed by December 21, 2017. www.hawkscay.com

Hawks Cay

Hawk’s Cay is a small slice of the Caribbean set in the heart of the Florida Keys. Its waterfront location makes it a favorite with divers, fishermen and boaters. Photo: Jason Stemple/Hawks Cay

 

 

Palm Beach Wreck Dive

Florida’s Favorite Shipwrecks

 

Less than a mile offshore from the mansions and high rises of Palm Beach, a freighter is taking on water. Hundreds of spectators and law environment officials watch from nearby boats, but no one intervenes to stop the sinking. In a matter of minutes, the doomed vessel slips below the waves. Just as planned.

The Ana Cecilia is the latest addition to Florida’s artificial reef program, which has sent more than 100 vessels to the bottom to serve as fish habitats and dive sites. Members of the fleet range from confiscated drug-running speedboats and sloops to a decommissioned aircraft carrier. Prior to sinking, each vessel is stripped of all contaminants and structural hazards that might entangle a scuba diver. It is then towed to a predetermined offshore location. Valves are opened to allow the boat to sink in a controlled manner, hopefully coming to rest upright and ready for exploration.

Ana Cecelia Sinking Palm Beach

The Ana Cecilia takes on water in a controlled sinking that will allow the vessel to settle onto the sea floor in 90 feet of water, just a short distance from the Palm Beach Inlet and area dive charters. Photo: Walt Stearns

Over time, corals and sponges may begin to overgrow the ship’s steel structures, adding new colors and textures. Fish and lobster will take up residences in the cabins and cargo holds. A star attraction of some wrecks is the massive goliath groupers that can grow up to 600 pounds. Other wrecks attract swilling schools of baitfish or silver-sided tarpon. These wrecks have become favorites with both divers and fishermen. It is estimated that each sunken ship will earn millions in tourism revenue and attract a generous crop of new fish life.

Palm Beach Ana Cecelia Divers

Mere hours after sinking, the Ana Cecilia is visited by scuba divers. Though initially in pristine condition, this wreck will soon begin to squire coatings of coral and sponges. Photo: Walt Stearns

Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida

Palm Beach: 10 Reasons to Go

 

An island of wealth, Palm Beach is the winter home of celebrities, politicians, moguls and folks with supersized bank accounts. Life is different here, and a visit to this elite island city, where shiny Rolls- Royce cars and pampered pedigree pooches are everyday sights especially during season, can be otherworldly.

1  Parade of Homes

Take a dreamy drive along Billionaire’s Row, South Ocean Shore Drive, where the most exclusive and luxurious estate properties rise up between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Entrances marked with ornate gateposts, carved stone finials and towering privacy hedges lead to homes priced upward from $10 million, with some reaching $70 million and climbing.

2  The First Millionaire

Palm Beach has been synonymous with high society since 1896 when oil tycoon Henry Flagler built his first luxury hotel on this slender 18-mile- long barrier island and lured those who had the means to escape winter’s wrath. The home he built for his third bride was named Whitehall, house of marble. Meticulously preserved, it is now the Flagler Museum and tells the story of not only Flagler’s accomplishments, but of life on Palm Beach during the Gilded Age, through its exquisite architecture and historic furnishings.

3  The Ultimate Shopping Experience

Worth Avenue has the most prestigious shops in the world—Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Gucci to name a few—brimming with elegant merchandise. No doubt there’s some serious designer and brand- name shopping going on here. But even if you don’t have super-deep pockets, you’ll still find a few stores on the avenue or hidden in the vias, little gardenlike passageways, where a purchase or two won’t break the bank.

4  The Scene

Enjoy a cocktail, lunch or dinner at any of the restaurants on or around Worth Avenue that cater to the nip-and-tuck clientele sporting saucer- size sunglasses. The go-to lunch spot for decades is Ta-Boo, where a mixed crowd of regulars and visitors can always be found, and for cocktails, the Leopard Lounge, in the Chesterfield boutique hotel, is another traditional venue famous for its catlike decor. But other spots like chef Clay Conley’s Buccan keep the culinary offerings fresh and the vibe modern.

5  The Grandest of the Grande Dames

Palm Beach’s most famous hotel is the Breakers, a historic treasure still operated by Henry Flagler’s heirs. To experience this opulent property, book a night or two. But if that’s not in your budget, then come for Sunday brunch in the cavernous Circle Room where 30-foot frescoed ceilings and murals of Tivoli Gardens add even more opulence to the experience. Don’t leave without looking up: Renaissance-style artwork adorns the Breakers arched ceilings along with elaborate crystal chandeliers.

6  Winter Feasting

Quickly rising to the top of Florida’s list for foodie festivals, the December Palm Beach Food & Wine Fest draws top talent like chefs Daniel Boulud, Scott Conant and David Burke along with Food Network celebs. Chef talks, high tea and four-course dinners are held at the Four Seasons, the Breakers and other venues around town, with the Grand Tasting on Worth Avenue the most delicious finale.

7  Walk the Avenue

A dapperly dressed Rick Rose leads the curious on a Historical Walking Tour of Worth Avenue every Wednesday. Not just a famous shopping street, Worth Avenue has a fascinating history and Rose’s animated tours spill all. Expect the scoop on how eccentric Addison Mizner became the signature architect of old Palm Beach and why Lilly Pulitzer set up shop here to sell her rainbow-colored resort wear.

8  The Beach

With a bustling social scene, one can almost forget the beach. But that would be a shame, so you’ll want to head to the public stretch right off of Worth Avenue by the big tower clock. It’s perfect for a stroll and of course, if you stay at any of the oceanfront hotels you have a swath of sand and crashing waves.

9  Hotel Hopping

Palm Beach doesn’t have a huge inventory of hotels, but what it does have is some of the classiest properties. Shoppers prefer boutique hotels steps from Worth Avenue: the Chesterfield, where they can enjoy a high tea after shopping, the Colony, with evening cabaret shows at the Royal Room, and the Brazilian Court, a private spot hidden by tropical foliage on a side street. Big resorts from the Breakers to the Four Seasons and the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa to the Omphoy Ocean Resort provide the cabana and beach experience.

10  Summer Bargains

When temperatures rise, seasonal residents shift to the Hamptons. And that’s when Palm Beach is especially appealing to those of us further down the wealth spectrum. The weather may be hot, but the Gulf Stream ushers in a breeze. Resorts offer deep discounts, and Worth Avenue stores slash prices. All are good reasons to go.